l8oo. Letters ffom a Scots Farmer ) ^c. 147 



FOR THE farmer's MAGAZINE. 



Letters from a Scots Farmery during a Tour through 

 England y to his Friend in Edinburgh. 



LETTER II. 



After enjoying a good night's reft at York, ve fet off 

 at five o'clock, in a fine June morning, for Tadcqjier. 

 We paffed through a delightful country, inclofed on eve- 

 ry hand. The fun ihone bright ; the air was mild and 

 ferene ; and every circumftance contributed to render the 

 time employed in travelling this fhort ftage exceedingly 

 agreeable. 



"Tadcajler is not a large place, nor does it contain any 

 manufactures ; but the foil of the adjoining country is 

 moftly of excellent quality, which is in general kept under 

 good cultivation. We only halted here for a few minutes, 

 and then proceeded to Ferrybiidge, where we breakfafted. 



Betwixt thefe two places, lies the eftate of a worthv 

 nobleman, who juilly confiders the fcience of Agricul- 

 ture as meriting equal legiflative attention with trade and 

 manufactures, and who wifely devotes a confiderable part 

 of his valuable time to the m.anagement of rural affairs. 

 We faw feveral of his improvements, which were con- 

 ducted according to the ftriCleft rules of art, and received 

 accurate accounts concerning thofe which did not come 

 under our obfervation. Inftead of trifling away his time 

 in the cultivation of a few acres, he carries on his opera- 

 tions upon the great fcale, and intends, at a future pe- 

 riod, to arrange his eftate in the flrape of regular-fized 

 farms,' which was not the cafe when he entered to pcf- 

 felllon. Happy would it be for Britain, were all the 

 grea* proprietors of land difpofed to view the cultivation 

 of the foil in a fimilar manner v/ith this noble perfonage I 

 Agriculture would then advance with hafty fteps to per- 

 fedfion, and the capital ftock of the country would be 

 improved to its greateft height. 



Ferry- Bridge^ being one of the great ftages upon the 

 north road, is cliiefly occupied by innkeepers. At tins 

 place, we receiA'^ed information concerning the River- 

 Ai7-e- Navigation, which is the moft profitable undertak- 

 ing of the kind in England. Tiiis navigation was origi- 

 nally planned and executed in the reign of Charles I., 



aad- 



